Shopping

A fun sport!  Well if you have lots of money to spend.  Have you ever had to spend money?  Now I am not talking about the dollar you had in your pocket as a child and you could not wait to spend it.  I am talking about having a lot of money and you had to spend it all.  Well me neither but.....

Yesterday I helped a young lady get ready for college.  We went shopping for her college appartment.  She had a lot to buy and had the money to buy what she needed.  It was a long day but I think she is set for the move.

I don't have a lot of money but I have enough.  I have all the "things" I need.  You see God said He would supply all our needs and He has. Isn't God great!

Contests

My daughter texted me today and said she had started her workout yesterday and was doing very well.  She then wanted to know what the prize was going to be if she lost more than her sister and I did.  Well I went shopping and bought a prize that I wanted and informed her that I was going to win.  Well her sister texted me and said she didn't know about a contest but it didn't matter because she would win.  Well later somehow dad gets involved and said he would win because he had already lost 1.8 pounds!  I have lost 2!

Isn't this fun? Sometimes it is fun to compete with each other.  We just need to make sure we are not competing with God.  How do we do that you might say.  Well if we spend all our time doing other things and no time with God then I think we have our priorities in the wrong place.  God wants our time to be spent in serving Him, in praising Him, in thanking Him.

He doesn't mind if we are having family fun but don't over do it.  I'll let you know when I win!

Happy?

Are you happy?  I hope so.  I get excited when I see others happy.  Recently friends have posted on facebook pictures of their vacations and visits with family.  They all look so happy in the photos.  I always smile to see them.  Sometimes though I am a little envyious of them especially if they are going somewhere I want to go but can't.  Then I think maybe someday.

Did you ever give someone an anonomous gift?  I love doing that and then watching their face light up.  It is a good happy feeling inside.

When someone becomes a Christian or is restored to their first love the angels sing!  God is happy and all of His followers are happy.

Lets be happy today.

Stars

Doug has been talking about faith on Sunday mornings.  He has used Abraham and Sarah and their stories.  God tells Abraham he will have as many descendents as there are stars in the sky.  Now that is a lot of stars and a lot of children, grandchildren, etc.  But they had no children....  How would we handle that? They were already passed the childbearing age.  It was a number of years later before Sarah gave birth.  She was ninty years old.

Sometimes we ask God for something and we don't have enough faith to wait for His answer to those prayers.  We try to go out and take care of it on our own.  Sarah did too!  Didn't turn out the right way.  When we try to do it our way and not God's do we have good results?

Something to think about.

Vacations

I really enjoy going away for awhile.  I think it is so refreshing.  When you come back you are supposed to be rested and ready to get back into the swing of things again.  Sometimes that doesn't happen. Sometimes we work so hard at having a good time we tire ourselves out. Then when we return we are still tired and not ready to get back to our regular lives.

"Be still and know that I am God"  God said this.  He knew we needed time to rest.  I am looking forward to August.  I get to go to Polishing the Pulpit Workshop in the Smoky Mountains.  Now you spend a lot of time in classes learning about God but to wake up in the morning and see the beautiy of the mountains that God created is awsome!  Growing up in that part of the country I often heard people say that was God's country.  They were right!  I know the rest of the country is His too but unless you have been there... I do intend to rest some while there but the big vacation doesn't come until October!

Spending time in God's word is also refreshing and we do not have to get totally away to do that.  We can get away from TV or whatever distracts us and spend time with God.  Reading His word and talking to Him is the most uplifting/refreshing thing we can do.

How are you going to spend your vacation?

Jesus wept

Recently I was reading Power for Today and the scripture they used for the day was "Jesus wept".  I send a scripture to my children daily and decided to send John 11:35 that day.  I later began to think about those two words.  Jesus wept. Jesus loved a friend so much He cried for him.  We often cry for loved ones when they pass away.  But do we cry for the ones that are still alive but lost?  Do we love them enough to cry out to them and teach them the way of the Lord?  Or maybe just to pray for their souls?

Let's weep today.

Pricked to the heart

Have you ever been pricked to the heart?  Reading in Acts we find that when Peter pointed out to the people what they had done they were pricked to the heart.  So sorry, so deeply sorry for what they had done or let be done.

As small children we are told, say you are sorry.  And we say I'm sorry.  I often wonder how many times we said that and really were not sorry.  As we grow older we are or should be more aware of what that means.

I never intend to hurt anyone by my words or actions and if I do I am truly sorry.  It isn't something we wake up in the morning thinking I am going to hurt someone today. 

Sometimes we hurt others by not doing or saying something.  How often do we "pass by on the other side" to avoid someone or to avoid doing something for someone?  How often do we find excuses for not doing what God intended for us to do?

Maybe we should be pricked to the heart.

Rain

Cherokee has finally had some rain.  We have really needed it.  I would like for it to rain all night every night this week.  Sleeping would be so good.  Everything would look so refreshed and clean.

I was thinking about rain.  We have other kinds of rain besides the wet kind that God sends our way.

We have blessings "rained" down on us all the time.  Our families, friends, homes, food, clothes and the list goes on.  Do we take those "rainings" for granted?  Those blessings are constant.  A constant reminder of God's love for us.

Can you count them?

Summertime

Oh the lazy, hazy days of summer...where did they go?  I can remember those days.  I would love to spend the day sitting on my front porch doing nothing....

Besides working I have spent time at Bible camp teaching young ladies.  I had to spend time preparing for that and trust me you have to be on your toes to teach them.  They ask questions! My grandchildren have been visiting.  That always keep me busy.  Love having them around.  It doesn't happen often.

I was thinking about being lazy.  Not doing laundry or sweeping the floor or making the bed could be seen by some as lazy.  Staying in bed until the last minute could be seen as lazy. 

The worse part about being lazy is if we forget God.  You know He made these lazy, hazy days.  We need to give Him thanks.  While you are out there on that proch spend time talking to Him, reading His Word.